Improvement in railroad-cars



j 2 Sheets-Sheet M|NER & MERBICK.

Railway Car. No. 26,282. Patented Nov. 29, 1859.

lnventor= Witnesses= 122/42 I AM. PHOTO-LITHO. C(LNY. (OSRGRNE'S PROCESS.)

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Railway Car. No. 26,282. Patented novwzsjwsse.

lri'ventol i M I I Witnesses=- H I PHDTIkLITHO. C0. N.Y. (OSBORNES PROCESS.)

UNITED STATES "PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN MINER AND siLAs MERRIGK, OF NEW BRIGHTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-CARS Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 26,282, dated November 29, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN MINER and SILAs MERRICK, both of New Brighton, in the county of Beaver and State of Pennsylvania, have in.-

vented certain new and useful Improvements in the Construction of the Bodies of Iron Cars for Railroads, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which road-cars it is of primaryimportance to combine lightness with strength: To have invented a frame for such cars which accomplishes this object in a very complete manner; and our invention consists, first, in 0011- structing the ribs or frame-pieces of railroadcar bodies of two strips of angle-iron, known to the trade as L-iron, securely riveted to an interposed strip of wood; second, in constructing the panels of the car of single pieces of sheet metal of suitable size and thickness,

struck up in the center with an ornamented or plain raised concave from the interior of the car, (or the center may be sunk, and thus made concave to, the exterior of the car,) this plate so made being securely riveted round its edges to the L-irons surrounding the space it is designed to fill; third, in combining the said ribs or frame-work with the said panels in the construction of a car, whereby we attain the qualities of strength and lightnessin a high degree, combined with beauty of finish and cheapness of construction.

In the accompanying drawings, our improvements are shown as applied to a passenger-car, the frame-work or ribs of which are composed of thin strips or bars a, of hard Wood interposed between two plates Z) of an; gle-iron, and securely riveted thereto. The

edges of the angle-irons and of the wood are made flush with each other in order to facilitate the finishing and upholstering of the car.

The longitudinal beams A have their lower edges flush with the bottom, of the car, their broad or flanged side being uppermost, and

are extended sufficiently beyond the body of the car at each end to support the platforms.

The transverse beams B are placed with their j broadest sides resting upon the longitudinal beams, which they cross at right angles,and

the flanges of the two beams areriveted together at each point of intersection. Thesame form of construction may, if deemednecessary,

be applied to the roof and sides 01": the car; but

generally one series of such beams will be found sufliciently strongfor all practical purposes forthose parts.

The uprights G are placed at such distances apart as to leave suitable spaces for windows, and are securely riveted at top andbottom to the side pieces of the frame. The spaces between the uprights are divided into panels by means of strips '0 of angle-iron extending from one uprightto another and riveted there to at each end. The spaces 1) are left for windows, while those above and below are filled with plates E of sheet metal struck up 1 at their centers into some ornamental figure, but plain on their edges, which are securely riveted to the uprights G and strips 0. These plates may, if preferred, be made double that is, two places struck up and placed back to back may be used-and thus the same finish given to the interior as to the exterior of the car. By this method of construction the 1 following among other advantages are attained, viz: Beams of the construction described combine'great strength and lightness with a slight degree of elasticity,which 1atter contributes materially to the smoothness of, the motion of a car, and consequently to the comfort of the passengers. The noise produced by the vibration of the car is very much diminished, and a car can be much more cheaply constructed, as our method of construction obviates the necessity of boring or drilling the numberless holes indispensable to p the finishing up of acar built entirelyof iron,

By the use of panels raised in the center,

but having plain edges, rivetedto the angle iron of the frame-work, weare enabled to use lighter material and less of it, and also mater-ially to assist in deadening the sound. e

Plates simply corrugated would not answer our purpose, as they cannot be prevented from rattling, and a car in which such plates are used cannot be so strongly or so cheaply constructed as by our method.

Steel might be substituted for iron in the construction of our car; but iron is so much cheaper and possesses ample strength for all practical purposes, that we prefer to use it.

The advantages possessed by an iron car as compared with one constructed of wood are so obvious as scarcely to require mention,

rugated plates have likewise been used. These therefore we do not claim; but,

Having thus fully described the construc tion of our improved railroad-car, what we claim is 1. In the construction of railroad-cars, inserting strips of wood between the angle-iron which forms the frame-work of the car, in combination with panel-plates formed of a single piece of iron struck up, whether plain or ornamented, substantially as described.

2. Constructing the ribs and frame-work of the car of two strips of L-iron, with a bar of wood interposed, when these irons and the Wood are united by rivets, substantially in the manner described", v

In testimony whereof we haveh ereu nto subscribed our names.

JOHN MINER. sILAs MERRICK.

Witnesses:

WM. CANNON, Jr., ELIHU T. PUGH. 

